WESTPORT, CONNECTICUT, 20 June –

A ground-breaking quantitative survey of business information use in small to medium U.S. businesses was released today by Shore Communications Inc. (http://www.shore.com), the research and executive advisory service delivering leading insights into business and institutional content markets. The survey reveals surging budgets for business information in small and medium U.S. businesses and the growing importance of search engines, weblogs and other sources of online information that bolster their access to original sources of business information on the Web. While print is still the delivery method of choice for many kinds of business media, the sources considered most important to small to medium U.S. businesses are mostly those accessed in electronic form.

The 54-page report, entitled “Business Information Use in Small to Medium U.S. Businesses: 2005 Survey”, details the business roles, budgets and preferred purchasing methods of executives purchasing business information and profiles the usage, sharing and importance of newspapers, magazines, scholarly journals, market research reports, books and reference materials, weblogs, subscription services, company information and internal sources. The report maps sources to preferred access methods, including intranets and in-house systems, the Web sites of original information sources, search engines and Web portals, fee-based online services and other access methods.

“This report provides data on business information usage and purchasing in small to medium U.S. businesses never before revealed in a study of this kind,” said John Blossom, President of Shore Communications Inc. “The study demonstrates that small to medium businesses are getting much of their business information very efficiently from the Web to gain a competitive edge.  Established business-oriented publishers and technology suppliers need to adapt their products and services further to serve the shifting needs of this important segment of business information users.”

Further details on the report, including a complimentary executive summary and its purchasing options may be found at the following Internet Web address:
http://www.shore.com/research/current/reports/SCI200504.html

ABOUT SHORE

Shore Communications Inc. is a leading research and advisory service focusing on organizations that develop, purchase and use professionally-oriented content and the technologies that facilitate its use in individual and collaborative environments. Shore focuses on the complex interplay between content, technology and people that creates value for organizations and individuals in today's marketplace. Shore’s research, commentary, private consulting and confidential advisory services provide valuable insights into the products, practices and behaviors that maximize the value of content and related technologies through all stages of its creation, organization, marketing, deployment and use.

For more information about Shore and report purchases, please contact John Blossom at 203.226.9488, jblossom@shore.com, or visit http://shore.com/us/resources/press/.

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